LU's Westgate shares fossil knowledge with Palestinians

By The Enterprise

Updated 4:20 pm, Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Jim Westgate with mammoth tooth found in Caplen, Texas at the home of Lamar University faculty colleague Dorothy Sisk.
photo provided by Lamar University
Photo: Seames O'Grady

Jim Westgate with mammoth tooth found in Caplen, Texas at the home...

Lamar University's Jim Westgate spent 10 days in Palestine conducting paleontology and rock workshops for students and science teachers. Westgate, a professor of Earth and Space Sciences, led workshops in Ramallah, Bethlehem and Jericho, and visited Old Jerusalem.
Photo: Provided

Lamar University's Jim Westgate spent 10 days in Palestine...

Lamar University's Jim Westgate spent 10 days in Palestine conducting paleontology and rock workshops for students and science teachers. Westgate, a professor of Earth and Space Sciences, led workshops in Ramallah, Bethlehem and Jericho, and visited Old Jerusalem.
Photo: Provided

Lamar University's Jim Westgate spent 10 days in Palestine...

Jim Westgate looks out for the common and rare variety of birds that gather at the Smith Oaks Sanctuary on High Island, Tuesday.
Photo: TAMMY MCKINLEY

Jim Westgate looks out for the common and rare variety of birds...

Lamar University Professor Jim Westgate leads a field trip to the Bolivar Peninsula for teachers from all across Texas. At stop #3, formerly known as the beach community of Caplan, Charles Klimitchek, from Hullettsville Texas, looks over the remains of sand socks that were used in anti- erosion projects. Dave Ryan/
Photo: THE ENTERPRISE

He has received several outstanding services awards and oversees the JASON Alliance of Southeast Texas.

The opportunity to visit Palestine originated when Westgate participated in a 2012 Hands On Science International conference in Turkey as its keynote speaker. He was then invited to become part of the A.M. Qattan Foundation teachers exchange program.

Westgate taught 5th through 10th grade teachers and then joined them in their classrooms in presenting the information in all-day activities.

He also spent time with students in Ramallah who brought fossils for him to inspect.

He found that the fossils represented the same seaway and time period as the limestone fossils in the Austin, Texas, area and therefore were quite familiar to him.

"I was able to share with them the paleoecology of their area 90 million years ago," he said describing tropical seas from the samples they examined.

After traveling to Bethlehem, Westgate worked with students in the villages of the area helping facilitate activities each teacher wanted to do. In one instance, a group of students gathered samples from limestone outcrops near their school.

"They were extremely enthusiastic," Westgate said.

Westgate's presentation materials and lectures were translated into Arabic.